Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli will announce Wednesday morning that he has selected Morris County Sherriff Jim Gannon to be his running mate.
Ciattarelli will join Gannon at Johnnie’s Tavern in Boonton Wednesday morning.
News of his selection was first reported by The New Jersey Globe.
Gannon, 64, won his third three-year term last fall and provides a strong law-and-order component to Ciattarelli’s ticket. He also is popular in Morris County, where Democrats have been making inroads in recent years.
The son of a decorated NYPD detective, he is a former beat cop from Boonton, where he grew up and still lives.
He quickly rose to the position of deputy chief of investigations in the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, where he handled more than 120 homicide cases and served on the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Gannon has worked on school safety initiatives and shared service agreements with other sheriff’s offices. He also has led training sessions for law enforcement agencies worldwide.
Gannon also has been active in the community, serving as a volunteer firefighter and an ambulance squad member. He also co-founded the Morris County Emerald Society. Each Christmas, he’d dress as Santa for local children.
